Birding and other distractions

Not sure where to go this morning then news came through of a Red-breasted Flycatcher at Dungeness so that provided a solution. The bird was in the moat with about four other birders there when we arrived. It was a sunny morning and the flycatcher was quite active, singing on and off, a very pleasant song. It occasionally showed in a gap in the bushes close to the ground.  Although a male it didn't have a red-orange breast, just a creamy throat and thus was probably a first summer bird. Afterwards we walked round the Long Pits trying to see one of the Spotted Flycatchers that had been reported, though had no luck. There were a couple of singing Lesser Whitethroats though it was generally quiet. Four-spotted Chasers were near the water, also some Red-eyed Damselflies. Butterflies included my first Small Heath and Brown Argus of the year. Near the end of the day we visited the RSPB reserve, checking the new scrape near Boulderwall Farmhouse where a Black-winged Stilt had been reporte...

There were good numbers of waders at the tip of PP at 6:30, especially Turnstones, plus a feeding flock of gulls and terns just offshore. An adult Bald Eagle sat on the beach at the far end. Migrant passerines were generally low in numbers in the adjacent woodland. However, one of the birds that I watched caught my attention as it sported an obvious white eyering and a bluish-grey head. Add to that two white wing-bars, yellowish flanks, and a white belly, all the id features for Blue-headed Vireo. Unfortunately the bird mainly stayed high up in trees, unlike a nearby Black-throated Blue Warbler which was seen at ground level. Later I made another visit to Delaurier Homestead where the Green Heron was seen at close range, and Common Yellowthroat were more obliging than they usually are. Whilst there I learnt that an Ash-throated Flycatcher was still present near Dunes, so I left the homestead sooner than planned. The area for the flycatcher was a 15 minute walk along a permissive path n...

I left early this morning to get to the tip of PP by 6.30. Weather conditions weren't exactly conducive to a significant fall, with clear skies and a northerly wind, and it was no surprise to find fewer birders there today. Nevertheless, there was a sprinkling of warblers, including Blackburnian, Black and White, and Blue-winged, though sadly I didn't get on to the latter in time. Several Eastern Kingbirds were present, though best of all was a female Scarlet Tanager, which had me scratching my head for a while as to it's id. Later in the morning I walked the Woodland Trail which leads back to the visitor centre. Part of this trail is a wetter, more open area with some dead trees, and this was the most productive area today. The birds there included a couple of very obliging Prothonotary Warblers, one of which flew onto the path almost by my feet. There was a Great-horned Owl, though I would never have noticed it had not a fellow birder let me look through his 'scope. A...